


Knight In Black Armor

by AuraSweet13



Category: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:43:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuraSweet13/pseuds/AuraSweet13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Atti has a guardian angel. Or rather, a guardian vampire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knight In Black Armor

Atti never wanted this for herself. But in Bad City, a woman didn't have many options. And so, Atti found herself giving her time, her mouth, on extremely rare occasions her body, to anyone who would give her so much as a second glance.

If she weren't so goddamned desperate for the money, she would have the decency to be ashamed.

She'd been at this long enough that she no longer knew what shame was.

 

The first time she saw the girl-young woman, really-Saaed had forced her out of his car and left her in the field. This was the first time anything like that had happened, and to say she was embarrassed would be putting it mildly. But she was old enough to swallow it down, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Glancing up, she found what looked like a young woman silhouetted against the off white wall. She wore a black chador.

Embarrassment was added to her shame. She operated at night so people weren't around to witness it. The fact that this girl was just added to Atti's already bad night. Atti's eyes stung as she stared at the ground, but she hauled herself to her feet. Then she brushed herself off and glanced over.

The girl was gone.

Shaking her head, she started back to her home, though she didn't consider it that. She was just saving her money so she could get the hell out of this city.

 

The girl crept silently after the woman, who she knew by now was called Atti. She still wasn't certain of how the human body or mind worked, she herself hadn't been human for a long time. But she knew enough to see that Atti was unhappy with how things had turned out. Her hands were empty, from what the girl could see.

Contrary to mythology's views on...what she was, she did have a regard for human life. But only in certain cases.

Atti was one such case.

The girl thought back to the watch she had taken from the man who had dragged Atti out of his car. That would likely be worth a lot of money, and for a split second the urge to give it to her crossed through the girl's mind. But she pushed it away. Once Atti was safely in her home, the girl moved quickly, back to her own place of dwelling.

 

Hossein couldn't take a hint. She may have been desperate for money, but she wasn't that desperate. Not yet. He was a drug addict who always tried to get her to shoot up, too. She always refused, of course, but she had serviced him more than once. Desperation would do that to a woman. He was her most regular customer.

She looked past him and saw the girl watching again. "I'm not interested tonight." Atti told him in a soft but firm voice, and walked briskly away.

 

Keying that car felt so good. At least, until she glanced over and found the young woman in the black chador watching her. Shaking off just how creepy that was, Atti started walking. Shortly after, she got the feeling like she was being followed. She kept her key close to her, just in case. She glanced over her shoulder and found the woman a little closer than she had been before. Once again, Atti faced forward and kept walking.

She could hear footsteps behind her, and knew they could only belong to the strange girl. Atti walked until she reached the end of the street, then stopped and turned to look at her. "Why are you following me?" There was no response. Despite the fear she felt curling around her heart like a snake, she took a few steps closer. "What do you want?"

The girl was wide eyed, innocent. At least, she looked that way. Without speaking a word, she held out her hands. Saaed's watch. Her own eyes widened and she moved to the girl's side, taking her arm and moving her along without a word.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, but received no answer.

 

The girl was far different than Atti had been expecting. When she spoke, Atti was shocked by the tone of her voice. She'd expected a much more timid one to come out of her mouth. "Look who found her tongue." She murmured. "You want to do what I do? It's not easy." Atti lost herself in her mind as she rattled off her line of work.  
"You don't like what you do." The girl's matter of fact tone made Atti feel like she had been submerged in ice water.

"You're watching me?" How else could the girl know that?

"At night." The girl responded, not taking her eyes off her. Atti expected her to stop there, and yet she was curious. So she tried to pry the girl for more information, of what else she had noticed. "You're sad. You don't remember what you want." Atti was chilled to the bone. "You don't remember wanting. It passed long ago. And nothing ever changes." Atti was pretty much on autopilot until the girl spoke again, and she lit another cigarette. "You're saving your money. For what?"

What concern of that was hers? "Are you a thief?" Atti asked immediately.

"No." The girl responded.

Which brought Atti to her next question. "So what are you?" The girl didn't answer. Instead, she got up and left, the strange sweet Atti had given her still in her hand.

 

Atti loved to dance. It was one thing that hadn't changed as she got older. She could forget about what she had been forced to do to make money for herself just by dancing. "Atti, sweetheart. Come here." Hossein's voice shattered the world she had built in her mind to get away from all of this. "Let's be together." Swallowing, she walked over and sat down. He placed his hand on her back, and she fought the urge to be sick. "Sit right here." Atti had barely sat down before she saw the needle. There was a gross light brown liquid substance in it. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was almost instantly. "Let's have a good time."

"No, I don't want to." She pushed his hands, and the needle by extension, away from her. Atti scolded him for his actions. He always did this, always tried to get her to shoot up with him. She didn't like it.

Atti got up and went to leave the house. She wasn't expecting him to follow her, to grab her wrist and drag her back to the bed, almost throwing her down on it. Her brain was in full on panic mode as she watched him undo his belt. "We're going to have a good time." He told her firmly. Her pleas for him not to do this seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Let's have a good time."

"Do you hear me, Hossien?" She gave one last feeble protest, even as her hands were bound.

"We're going to have a good time together." Hossein repeated, sitting down next to her again, the needle in his hands. By now she had completely given up fighting him. She cringed as he stuck the needle into her vein and depressed the drug.

She'd heard that being injected with heroin made you feel relaxed and calm. But she didn't feel either of those things. Her head felt foggy and clouded, her limbs heavy. She wasn't unconscious though, this she knew for a fact as she sank to the pillow, the softness of it like a caress on her cheek.

Atti cringed again as she felt Hossein's weight against her side and back, his arms wrapped around her midsection, holding her close like she was some kind of a stuffed animal. His weight was almost completely on top of her, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. But her heavy limbs plus her bound hands stopped her from doing anything. Atti forced her eyes open and the first thing she saw was the cat's eye. But she felt so tired, she couldn't keep her eyes open. So she let them flutter closed.

 

Atti was in danger. The girl could feel it deep inside. She turned around, listening, already moving in that direction.

She entered the room and found Atti. The strong woman she had seen the day before yesterday wasn't there. Instead, the woman laying in the bed looked much younger, much more innocent, wearing a pale coloured slip. At first glance, the girl thought she was asleep, until she saw what looked like a man's belt wrapped around her wrists, a needle mark on the inside of her arm. She was half wrapped in the embrace of, half almost pinned under, a man years older than Atti was. The girl recognized the man. From the field. Atti had turned him down. From the look of her bound wrists, she'd tried to do the same here, but he hadn't backed off. She felt nothing but rage now as she surged forward, grabbed him by the ankle, and pulled him off the bed without even considering being gentle with him. He hadn't been gentle with Atti.

 

Atti's eyes opened as she heard movement. It was the women in the black chador. She looked absolutely livid. Not just that, she looked otherworldly; not even close to something that resembled a human. For a second, Atti was almost worried she had encroached on her territory somehow, despite the fact that she knew Hossein was widowed. But it wasn't her the woman went after; it was Hossein. She grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him off the bed. But she managed to do so in a way that didn't even come close to dislodging Atti. She still felt heavy and weak, but she pushed herself into a sitting position with her bound wrists. Her head was pounding insistently. The girl was looking at her, right at her now, and there was an expression of what could only be described as concern on her face. Just like that, Atti remembered their conversation from the other day. But she wasn't focused on that, her attention was completely on the girl as she seemed to tower over Hossein, who was on the floor.

How had she managed to pull him off the bed so easily? He was several hundred pounds heavier, and several heads taller than the girl by the look of it. But that didn't do anything to deter her, as she moved closer and knelt over his body.

It took Atti less than a second to realize what the girl was doing.

Drinking from him.

Was she dreaming? People didn't drink from others, not in the real world. In the fictional one, maybe. But they were not in a fictional world, this couldn't happen. And yet, how could she deny what was right in front of her?

Finally, she stepped back from Hossein, who was no longer moving. Atti's eyes widened. Was he dead? He certainly looked it.

Tears sprang to her eyes, as the girl turned to look at her. The girl moved over and, with small, delicate, cool hands, she unbound Atti's wrists.

 

Atti was shaking slightly. Not only could the girl see it, but she could feel it where her fingers pressed to the pulse at Atti's wrists. Was she scared that the girl would hurt her? Because that was the last thing she wanted. Cautiously, the girl stepped back. "Are you okay?" She asked, gesturing to the needle mark on her arm.

Atti shook her head, clearly still under the influence of whatever drug he'd put into her system.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The girl told her. She didn't think Atti would believe her, but it was the truth. That was why she had killed the man, actually. To protect Atti.

"The body." Atti spoke finally. "We need...to get rid of it."

The girl was surprised. She'd never had any offer to help her with the bodies. Then again, she'd never exactly had any witnesses to her feedings. But she nodded and offered Atti her hand. "Let me help you first."

Atti was hesitant, rightfully so. The girl lowered her hand, spotting a coat of some kind on the floor. It matched the color of the slip, but the pattern was flowery. She moved over and picked it up, bringing it back over and holding that out to Atti instead. Atti took it and slipped it on, holding it closed tightly around her. Her hands were shaking as she tried to do up the buttons. Instantly, instinctively, the girl moved to do it for her. Atti brought her hands back to her sides. "Thank you." When that was done, she started to get up, but stumbled a little, and her hands reached out to grab onto anything she could. Which, in this case, turned out to be the girl's arms. "I'm sorry." She murmured. She slipped into her overcoat with a little trouble, righting her hijab.

"Don't be." The girl let Atti hold on for as long as she needed to, even as she moved over to pick up the body. Atti grabbed it, too, while still holding onto her with one hand. Together, they carried the body out to dispose of it.

 

The cool air was nice on Atti's flushed skin. The heroin was slowly starting to wear off, leaving her more alert, more steady on her feet. She was making sure the coast was clear while the girl carried, more like dragged, the body. Her heart was pounding in time with her head. For obvious reasons, neither of them spoke until the girl dragged Hossein's body around the corner and laid him in the alley. Atti put a sheet over his body.

The girl was looking up. Atti's eyes followed hers, and she saw a little boy watching them from the window. Finally, Atti spoke. "Let's go." And walked off, expecting the girl to follow her. She did.

 

The cigarette shook just so in Atti's hands. The forced high she'd been under had finally worn off, and as such she now felt like shit. The girl sat on her couch, holding that damned cat. "You have to leave." She got out. "Take that thing with you." In truth, she didn't want to be alone right now. But she was embarrassed. And the cat was keeping her from moving on with her life.

The girl picked up the cat and rose from the couch. And then she was gone like a spectre, leaving Atti alone in her apartment. Now that she was alone, she let herself break. She started to cry, tears trickling down her cheeks. What had she done to deserve this? Maybe this was some kind of penance for the life that she had chosen. But she didn't have a choice. She needed the money, and using her body was the only way to get it. Not that she'd gotten much for her services in the past couple days. She hated doing this. Their treatment of her, as if she was no better than an animal. Atti could usually put up with it because of how much she needed the money, but tonight...tonight had been uncalled for. Tonight was the first night she'd actively tried to say no. But she'd been ignored. Because to them, the things she wanted didn't matter. As long as they got what they wanted, what they paid for. A sob escaped her, cutting through the silence like the blade of a knife. Getting up, she moved over to lay on the couch, curling up and wishing she was anywhere but Bad City.

 

The girl dropped the cat off at her own dwelling, and then she headed back to Atti's apartment. She'd been shaken up when the girl had left, and rightfully so. The girl just wanted to make sure she was okay.

The door was open just a crack when she arrived. Carefully, she pushed it open and stepped inside, and found Atti curled up on the couch. There were tear stains on her cheeks. Atti's eyes opened, and she sat up sharply when she saw the girl.

"Why did you come back?" Atti asked, startling the girl. Her voice was tired, thick with tears. "I don't have anything to offer you."

"Is that the only reason people come back?" The girl asked. "Because you have something to offer them, and not just because they want to?"

"That's my job." Atti responded, looking at her. "People pay me, and I give them what they want. No complaints, no questions. And when they're satisfied, they leave."

"I don't want anything from you." The girl moved closer to her.

"So I repeat: Why did you come back?" Atti looked at her.

"Would you believe me if I told you I came back to make sure you were all right?" The girl's tone didn't change. It was still calm and even.

"Maybe." Atti responded. The girl had been protecting her for days now. So, it wasn't too big of a stretch for Atti to believe her words. "Well, I'm okay, so you don't have to stick around."

"Are you?" the girl reached out and brushed tears from Atti's cheeks with a gentle hand. "Your voice says one thing, but your eyes say another. You deserve so much better than this."

"How do you know that?" Atti murmured. If she deserved better, why didn't she have it?

"I can see it." The girl responded, moving even closer still. She sank to her knees to be more level with Atti's face. "Would you allow me to kiss you?" Never once in her time doing this had she ever been asked if she could be kissed. Hell, she didn't kiss. Shyly, she nodded. The girl smiled a little, clearly happy with that answer, and moved closer to press her lips to Atti's. Her lips were cold, but they were soft and gentle, too. A stark contrast to the men she serviced, who were all rough and harsh. Where they treated her more like an animal, the girl treated Atti like she was some kind of rare treasure. The contrast was welcomed, although it made Atti's heart constrict. She could feel tears pouring down her cheeks again, and it was because of this that she broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.

The girl gently caught her wrists, shaking her head. "No. Don't apologize." She leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to each of Atti's eyelids. "I'm sorry you've never had someone treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

"I don't know how I deserve to be treated." Atti whispered. It was sad, sure, but it was nonetheless true.

"Let me show you." The girl told her. Atti was nervous at that thought, but she nodded. The girl climbed up beside her on the couch and wrapped her into a gentle embrace, pulling her close. "You're beautiful." She whispered in Atti's ear. Atti had been called a lot of things, but beautiful wasn't one of them. Slowly, the girl lay down, still holding Atti. However, this time Atti was on top.

"I don't want to do anything." Atti blurted before she could stop herself.

She felt the delicate fingers combing through her curls. "We don't have to." The girl murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "It's okay." The words were a huge relief. She'd never had a choice in what she wanted to do, not in her line of work. "You deserve the world, Atti." The girl continued to whisper to her.

"I'm glad you came back." Atti confessed. "I didn't want to be alone."

"I wouldn't have gone anywhere without checking on you first." The girl murmured, nestling her face against Atti's neck. Atti's skin was soft, her body warm. Her pulse was steady. "Are you scared of me?" She asked after a few moments of peaceful silence.

"No." Atti responded. "You've helped me. You've done nothing but help me. Who knows what Hossein would've done if you hadn't shown up when you did." She paused, wondering if she should ask what she was desperate to know. "I thought you were going to do the same thing to me that you did to Hossein. Would you have?"

"I wouldn't have." The girl responded, once again nestling her face against Atti's neck, causing Atti to shiver.

"Why not?" Atti looked down at her.

"You've done nothing to warrant it." The girl responded. "And in truth, I could never rob the world of such beauty." Atti blushed at her words. "But it's more than that." The girl pressed a kiss to Atti's throat. "I've been watching you for a while, because of your work. I wanted to make sure you were safe. And if you weren't, I wanted to protect you." That explained why the girl had killed Hossein.

"You killed Saaed too." Atti whispered. It wasn't a question.

"I did." The girl nodded; Atti felt it against her neck. Another kiss followed the nod. "Once I saw the way he treated you, I knew he had to go."

Atti was getting sick of crying. But she had never been treated so kindly before. And she definitely hadn't known someone willing to kill to keep her safe. "All my life, everybody has wanted something from me. And whatever they want, I've had to give it to them if I wanted their money. And then they left. Every single time." She murmured, hiding her face in the girl's shoulder.

"And you think that, despite my pretty words, I'm just like them." The girl's fingers didn't stop combing through her hair. She didn't sound offended, just matter-of-fact. "That when I get bored of you, I'll leave and move on to someone else." The girl gently cupped her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "I have never been more entranced by anyone than I have you. And I've been on this Earth a long time. I'm not going to leave you."

Atti was blown away by her words, and the sincerity in them. "I don't even know your name."

"Leila." The girl whispered. "My name is Leila."

"Leila." Atti's tone was soft, reverent. "Beautiful." This time it was her who initiated the kiss. When she broke for air, she had another question. "Have you ever...fed off of someone for pleasure? Not enough to kill them, but just to see what it felt like?"

"No. Never." Leila responded. "I thought about it once or twice, but never acted on it."

Atti nodded. "Oh." She paused. "I don't want to do this anymore. I want to leave Bad City. I feel like if I stay here, I'll lose my sanity. But I don't have much money, I don't have a car. I'm pretty much trapped here." She moved off of Leila, sitting on the couch once more.

"You won't be trapped here forever. I won't let that happen." Leila murmured, wrapping her arm around Atti's back. And then she had an idea. "I know where we can get a car." She whispered. "You just pack your things, and by tomorrow night, I will have the car for us." Her fingers continued to move through Atti's hair. She pressed a kiss to Atti's temple.

"What do we do tonight?" Atti asked, glancing at her.

"I think you should sleep." Leila murmured. "You've had a difficult night."

"Will you stay?" Atti looked at her, her grip tightening a little.

"For a little while." Leila responded. "Come on, I'll take you to bed." It had to be more comfortable than the couch. Atti let Leila take her hand and help her up.

"The bedroom's this way." Atti said, and lead the way.

Once they reached the bedroom, Atti climbed under the covers, and Leila joined her. Atti seemed content as she snuggled her face into Leila's neck. "Thank you for everything." She whispered.

"I'd give you more if I could." Leila murmured, but Atti was already asleep. Smiling, Leila kept her hand resting gently on Atti's head, listening to her steady breathing. Now she knew that Atti was asleep, it put her own mind at ease. As promised, she stayed for a couple more hours. Kissing Atti on the forehead, she untangled herself and got up, sneaking from the living area. She had a car to procure.

 

It was easy to steal a car, surprisingly. The car was inconspicuous, but still nice. It would do until they got out of Bad City. But it would be daylight soon, so she stored the car and went back to her home. Soon she would see Atti again. Soon they would get out of this place.

 

Atti had very few belongings to pack. She folded up the map and packed that, her makeup. Her cigarettes. Clothes, of course. And finally her money. As she packed, she realized something. She wouldn't miss this place even a little bit. The city, her pathetic excuse for a home, and especially not the seedy customers she was forced to deal with. After years of selling herself out to strangers, she could finally, _finally_ stop. For **good**. The thought was almost enough to make her cry. But she was too happy to cry. She finished packing, put her bag on her shoulder. Then she made sure to put on her hijab and went outside to wait for Leila. It was dark, but not pitch black. The air was cool.

"Atti." Her heart dropped into her stomach and her good mood soured a little. What did he want?

Swallowing and fighting to stay calm, she turned to face him. "Yes, Hami?" Her voice was tight with annoyance, and her arms were crossed.

"I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been hiding?" Hami leaned close, and on instinct she leaned away from him.

"Busy, you're not my only customer, you know." She scanned the streets for any sign of a car, or Leila behind the wheel, but didn't find one.

Hami grabbed her arm and she gasped. "Well, you don't seem busy now. I'll make it worth your while." As she watched, he pulled out a wad of bills. A lot of them, by the look of it.

"I don't do that anymore." Atti responded, thinking of Leila.

His grip tightened on her arm, and she cried out. "I wasn't asking, bitch." Hami snarled. Grabbing both of her arms, he dragged her towards a nearby alley. She fought him as best as she could. Then he pinned her to the wall, and she found that she couldn't unseat him. "I've heard only a select few get that gorgeous body of yours." He growled. "And I'm going to be one of those few. Because as tempting as your mouth is, I don't think it's worth how much money I'm willing to pay you."

"No, stop, I don't want this." Atti protested weakly. But, as with many of her customers, Hami ignored her pleas and started to undo his pants. Atti's body sagged in compliance, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Get away from her. Now." A much deeper, demonic voice cut through the silence. Atti looked past Hami's hulking form and couldn't believe her eyes.

'Leila.' She thought in relief.

Hami looked over his shoulder and scoffed at the girl who was looking at him. "Who are you?"

Leila walked up and grabbed Hami by the throat, pulling him off Atti. "Get to the car." She said, and for a second she sounded like herself. Atti didn't need to be told twice. She ran out of the alley and immediately got into the passenger seat of the car. She didn't know what Leila was going to do to Hami, and frankly she didn't care. Atti strapped in, placing her bag on her lap, and waited for Leila to come to the car.

A few minutes passed, and then the driver's side door was opening. She looked over as Leila got silently into the seat, closing the door behind her. "Are you okay?" She asked, reaching for Atti's hand.

"I'm okay." Atti nodded. "Let's just get out of here."

"Absolutely. Where do you want to go?" Leila asked, thumb rubbing over her knuckles.

"I'm fine with anywhere, just as long as it's not here." Atti squeezed her hand. The coldness no longer bothered her.

" 'Anywhere', it is." Leila said, smiling when Atti laughed. Then she started up the car, and the pair of them drove off into the night.


End file.
